Ranongga is an island located in the
New Georgia Islands
The New Georgia Islands are part of the Western Province of Solomon Islands. They are located to the northwest of Guadalcanal. The larger islands are mountainous and covered in rain forest. The main islands are New Georgia, Vella Lavella, Ko ...
group of
Western Province,
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...
.
History
Ranongga was sighted in 1787 by sailors Read and Dale.
On August 18, 1959, a seismic sea wave was generated off the west coast of Ranongga Island, at 08 hr 05 min. Soon after, large waves were observed in Vori, on the northern coast of the island. The sea receded by 15m and then returned to its original position. In May 2007 there was another large earthquake, and tsunami, and the whole Island lifted out of the sea by 3 meters, and stayed there, exposing all of the reefs around the Island, making life very hard for the locals for some time after.
Geography
Ranongga is a long, narrow island, located north-east of
Simbo Island and south-west of
Gizo, the capital of Western Province. The highest point is Mt. Kela (869m)
2007 earthquake
In April 2007, an earthquake rocked Ranongga Island, along with many parts of the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...
. Land thrust from the quake extended out the shoreline of Ranongga Island by up to 70 meters (230 ft) according to local residents.
This has left many once pristine coral reefs exposed on the newly formed beaches.
Demographics
Most of the villages are situated on the eastern side of the island. The
Ghanongga language
Ghanongga is an Oceanic language spoken by about 2,500 people on the northern half of Ranongga Island, Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to th ...
is spoken by about 2500 people on Ranongga Island.
References
Islands of the Solomon Islands
Western Province (Solomon Islands)
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